Sparrowhawk Junior
| Sparrowhawk Junior | |
|---|---|
 At the 1936 Rhön competition with starting number 61 |
|
| Type: | Glider |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: |
Schweyer Flugzeugbau Ludwigshafen |
| First flight: |
1936 |
| Number of pieces: |
Unique piece |
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The Sparrowhawk Junior was a single-seat performance glider designed by Hans Jacobs , which was built in the workshops of Karl Schweyer Flugzeugwerke in Ludwigshafen. The single piece was based on the DFS Rhönsperber and the Sperber Senior and was specially adapted to the needs of the pilot Hanna Reitsch .
history
The Sperber Junior used the wing layout and tail unit of the Sperber Senior, designed at the same time in the winter of 1935/1936 and built as a single piece . The wing profile came from the Rhönsperber performance glider, also developed by Hans Jacobs. The aircraft was specially designed for the petite stature of DFS test pilot Hanna Reitsch. The Sparrowhawk Junior served not only as a competition aircraft, but also as a study for testing various construction details that were to be incorporated into Jacobs' later designs. The license plate was initially D-Sperber Junior and was later changed to D-11-48. In competition lists, the aircraft type was sometimes listed as Sperber Spezial.
The whereabouts of the aircraft is not known. It must be assumed that it was destroyed in the course of the Second World War , but at the latest when the Allies invaded. The Sperber Senior was an enlarged and improved version of the Rhönsperber, which was specially built for the pilot Ludwig Hofmann .
construction
Like the Rhönsperber, the Sperber Junior was also designed as a cantilevered middle-decker in wood construction with a planked fuselage, gull wing wings and a cross tail. The wingspan of the Sperber Senior was shortened by 40 cm using the Rhönsperber profile Gö 535, and airbrakes extending upwards were installed as a landing aid. The fuselage cross-section was minimized and at its widest point was significantly less than the 60 cm of the Rhönsperber. The fuselage was lengthened and provided with a completely integrated canopy, which had similarities with the Fafnir designed by Alexander Lippisch and Hans Jacobs . Two Zellon windows let into the hood provided an outside view .
successes
In the 1936 Rhön competition , Hanna Reitsch started on the Sperber Junior with the competition number 61. She was initially excluded from participation because the regulations of the organizing German Air Sports Association did not provide for female pilots. After protests, Reitsch was finally able to participate. It achieved the highest total flight distance with 821.5 km on ten competition days. In the overall classification, she finished fourth.
During a meeting of the International Study Commission for Motorless Flight in Salzburg from May 25th to 31st, 1937, she and four other glider pilots successfully crossed the Alps by glider.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 1 |
| length | 6.51 m |
| span | 15.6 m |
| Wing area | 15.5 m² |
| Wing loading | 18.1 kg / m² |
| Best glide | 24.3 / 26.7 at 68/69 km / h |
| Slightest sinking | 0.65 m / s at 48.5 km / h |
| Empty mass | 175 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 280 kg |
See also
literature
- Peter Ocker: Hans Jacobs - pioneering life in aircraft construction. Self-published, Heidenheim 2012.
- Martin Simons: Segelflugzeuge - 1920 to 1945 , Eqip Werbung & Verlag GmbH, Bonn, 2001 (2nd edition 2005), ISBN 3-9806773-6-2
Web links
- Sparrowhawk Junior. Scale Soaring UK Documentation
- Sperber Junior Scale Soaring UK Documentation by Martin Simons and John Watkins
Individual evidence
- ↑ M. Simons, 2005, p. 114 f.